A Light Undying
by Silraen
Summary: The fateful meeting of Arwen and Aragorn in the twilit groves of Imladris... Written by Silraen and Navana


A Light Undying

_By Silraen and Navana_

The streams of Imladris flowed softly through the lush gardens, murmuring sweet, soothing songs. Like a reflection of heaven, the waters glinted with unearthly radiance as the stars beamed down into it, a mirror of beauty. The stream trailed on into the deepest part of the green forest of blossoming buds and humble ferns, flowing beneath and about the oft-untrod paths of green blades that extended to the stars. Over them, soundlessly, the steps of a man passed. It seemed, even though the world about him was enchanting and radiant, a heavy shadow wore upon his heart.

_How am I to become the savior of Men?_ His mind wandered in thought.

It was such an honorable, and yet such a heavy burden to know that he, Estel, was Aragorn, the only son of Arathorn of the Dunedain. And that his lineage was far greater than he had ever anticipated. Sighing, he looked down to his hand, to his finger where the Ring of Barahir shone brightly in the fading sunlight. He was expected to accomplish so much and yet...

His left hand reached out, brushing the eves of the starlit trees that bowed down to the earth. Dreamily, he strolled further down the path. _And I am to forget all that I have known? What of Elrohir and Elladan, those whom I have counted as brothers?_ The inner turmoil shook about within him.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept through the leaves, stirring his soft locks from his face. Leaves of silver-green danced about him upon the wind playfully, as if they were trying to entice him from his troubled thoughts. A sweet fragrance filled the air, and all grew suddenly quiet. The birds ceased to sing and the wind was stilled through the groves of Imladris. And then, seemingly from beyond the bounds of time, a fair voice whispered through the forest, growing louder and clearer in every moment.

Aragorn ceased to walk, so enticed was he by this celestial enchantment that seemed to be unfolding about him. And then, like a glorious star shining out through the darkness, she came out from beneath the flowering birches, dancing upon the unfading grass of her Elven home. He stood quite still, enraptured, overwhelmed by the aura of mystery and light about her, knowing that it was she - her voice, her heart-piercing song - that was weaving a spell about him...leaving nothing but boundless joy in his heart as he was taken on paths of endless light.

Unaware of his presence, the maiden danced on, singing her song of love, hope, light and joy. Flowers sprung forth with new life where her feet passed. Her sheer raiment of deep-blue and glittering silver flowed over her body even as a stream flows over stones. Her hair, like the dark shadows of twilight, rippled in the wind caused by her alluring yet swiftly graceful movements.

Then, as swiftly as she had come, she faded, even as twilight fades to night, back into the trees. Small, golden blooms shaped like the stars themselves were left in her wake, as well as her shining, radiant light of life, and her echoing, ethereal song.

For many long moments, he stood, breathless. _What grace has passed here?_ His heart drawn so swiftly from sorrow into perfect bliss. _No less than that of Luthien she was..._ As he caught his breath slowly, feeling as if he had breathed for the first time, he stepped forward, gazing to the path that she had passed upon. Had her song not lingered like the hum of life that ran newly through him, he would have believed himself a fool. Aragorn bent to the ground and touched a silken petal of one of the golden blooms. If he could touch this flower, then indeed, this was not a dream he had strayed into. The fair maiden was in fact real, and not a vision. His heart lept as he stood once more, his keen eyes traveling down her path.

With the greatest of haste, as swiftly as his heart now beat, his feet sprinted down the path, though it took no breath, no strength, no thought at all. Hope, light, and above all else, a new, strange feeling that gave him wings to almost fly. _"Tinuviel! Tinuviel!"_ was all he could think to say.

The maiden, who was now only feet away from him, froze, and her song faded into the evening. Slowly, she turned, a curious look in her ever-blue depths. Eyes as clear as the wind-swept sky gazed deeply into hers from beneath tousled, dark locks. Her face aglow, she smiled at him. Never before had she seen this man. Who was he? Where did he come from? But how young he seemed! "Who are you?" she asked him, her voice, like her song, seemed to pierce through to his soul. "And why do you call me by that name?"

A beaming smile came to his face. "I believed you to be that of Luthien Tinuviel," he admitted. His deep, dusky tresses fell about his face. Some slipped behind his rounded ears. "But if you are not she, then you walk in her likeness."

"So many have said," she replied in a soft tone, looking away to the path. "And yet, her name is not mine." Then she gazed back up into his face once more...into his shining eyes. Even as she searched his gaze, she could see something there that had not been there before...a golden light...like the sun itself...and it seemed to be dawning within his crystalline depths. The maiden wondered for a moment before continuing in her low, soft tone, "Though perhaps my doom will not be unlike hers. But who are you?"

Had the question been posed but moments before, he would have considered it, but here, he found strange clarity. "Estel, I was called, but I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn." Such strange pride was there where confusion once sat.

Suddenly, her wondrous smile grew, dazzling him, and she laughed merrily. Never had he heard a sweeter sound, and how he wished he could hear it again! "Then we are kin from afar, Estel," she said, her eyes glimmering. "For I am Arwen, Elrond's daughter, and am named also Undomiel." Then, even as she said her Elven name, Aragorn took notice of the shining pendant that she wore upon her breast. It seemed to hold the starlight of the Evening Star itself, which now shone down upon her amid the sunlight, bathing her in a glow of pearl.

The light that glistened from it seemed to illuminate every doubt that loomed within him. "It is said," he grinned, "that in dangerous days men hide their chief treasure. Yet I marvel at Elrond and your brothers; for though I have dwelt in this house from childhood, I have heard no word of you. How comes it that we have never met before? Surely your father has not kept you locked in his hoard?" An ear to ear grin painted his face.

Arwen's radiant smile only grew as she gazed at him. _How youthful he is..._ she mused, her eyes dancing with amusement at his jest and she laughed softly. "Indeed no." Her eyes then flickered from his to the silver peaks, which rose in the east. "I have dwelt for a time in the land of my mother's kin, in far Lothlorien." She then turned her gaze back to his, and she smiled gently at him. "I have but lately returned to visit my father again. It has been many years since I have walked here in Imladris."

Aragorn fell into silence. Shadows of doubt began to creep into the corners of his mind. _If she is indeed the daughter of Lord Elrond, then..._

Gently, she brushed her fingers down his smooth cheek, not knowing why she had reached out so boldly to touch him as she did. Something whispered inside her heart as his eyes went to hers at the contact, and she gave him a smile. "Do not wonder, Aragorn, son of Arathorn."

At her touch, a flame ignited within his silvery-blue depths, beaming light and joy. The doubt was obliterated and replaced only by the same, strange feeling that had wove through everything that he had done within the last few moments. It was sweeter than the finest sweets, more empowering than the brace of a sword within the grasp of a warrior, and more intoxicating than any wine. It surged through him, from the tips of her fingers to the hollow of his bones. It coursed through his veins, his very being. The feeling was love.

The golden light in his eyes now shone even brighter than it had before, and Arwen was almost taken aback by the sheer intensity of it. "Do not wonder," she repeated softly, "for the children of Elrond have the life of Eldar." Her ethereal gaze never left his.

Softly, he sighed, but as a moment passed, he realized that in her presence, he could not despair. "Such a great gift of fate has been bestowed upon then, Arwen, Elrond's daughter, to find you here. For ever does light wash over darkness. And such a light as yours cleanses my deepest shadows." _And your radiance has enchanted my heart and soul..._

"Then, if this shall give you hope, Estel, I will forever light your path...and keep the shadows of darkness away." Suddenly, the wind blew once more through the groves, stirring her dark tresses and the soft material of her raiment. Small blooms from the birches surrounding them swirled down from the heights to surround the couple as the golden light of the sun finally faded...and yet, perhaps it had not faded entirely, for the radiant light in his eyes still shone out into hers.

At that moment, all bounds of blood and immortality were broken, for blood can be washed by water, immortality forsaken. And amongst the joy in his heart that filled him through and through, Aragorn felt the clear touch of fate, like the soft words of a muse, echoing through him. "Then I will never need to fear, never need to despair, for you breathe, you live. And though your life, I swear to you now, as Beren swore to Luthien, that I will live."

Her smile was radiant, and it illuminated her entire face with golden luminescence. "Then, Estel, I will forever breathe and live. I will stand by your side, through the harsh winds of paths yet untrodden, and the bitter rains of doubt. I will be your beacon of light through the shadows...a light undying." Her eyes shone as she gazed deeply into his own, knowing that the promise they had made to one another went as deep as the promise Luthien's heart made to Beren's soul.

Gently he took her hand in his, within yet marveling at the beauty of the moment that had just left him breathless. As if to seal all that he had said, all that he felt, he lifted her hand to his lips, softly kissing it. The breeze the swirled about them seemed to burst in life. Aragorn smiled.

And as the evening winds gusted through the boughs of the beeches and between the two glimmering figures that stood, their fates intertwined in the moonlight, passed on through the valley of Imladris and into the heavens, where their hearts soared.

And ne'er did he need another comfort in the world, so long as she lived, his light, his love, his joy: Arwen Undomiel.

_fin_

Completed in the summer of 2003


End file.
